Terrace Martin is in good company. Affiliations with hip-hop royalty like Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar put him squarely at the centre of today’s musical sweet spot. A producer, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist, Martin pivots into the spotlight again with the release of his sixth studio album, Velvet Portraits.

Martin’s prior albums were a mix of hip-hop and R&B. Portraits is more jazz-centric but features some tracks squarely in the R&B and Soul genres. “Push” and “Patiently Waiting” are classically executed soul tracks, the latter featuring Uncle Chucc on vocals. “With You” and “Oakland” are more R&B but with an innovative edge, not unlike Robert Glasper’sBlack Radio 2 album (Blue Note, 2013). “Reverse,” featuring Glasper and vocalist Candy West is a completely immersive ballad. These R&B/Soul tracks stand on their own and serve as more conventional interludes on an album whose deepest appeal is in the jazz at the heart of the remaining cuts.

Collaborators like Thundercat (a.k.a. Stephen Bruner), Kamasi Washington, and Robert Glasper are brought to bear throughout the album both as composers and virtuosos. Convergence is especially high on the track “Curly Martin.” Broken beats and Thundercat’s signature bass sound underlay warm keyboards and a simple melody carried by Washington’s saxophone. Similarly, “A Tribe Called West” and “Bromali” present a jazz fusion sound defined by this cadre of musicians and songwriters.

Martin closes his album with a version of Kendrick Lamar’s“Mortal Man,” an etherial track with nearly 12 minutes of beats, saxophone, lush keyboards, and vocalizations that remind us: great musicians can do great things when given a platform on album like this.